Dodgers Way

At the beginning of the month, the Los Angeles Dodgers designated third-string catcher Ben Rortvedt for assignment in order to make room for Dalton Rushing's surprise return from the IL. It was the third, maybe even fourth, time they had sent him out on waivers since he was acquired in the Dodgers' three-team trade with the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays last year.

Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup on Monday night after a four-game absence. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in LA's 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. He's 7-for-54 with just one home run and two RBI since August 18, marking one of the worst offensive stretches of his career. The Dodgers toyed with the idea of an IL stint and ultimately decided against it, but they don't expect to see him back on the mound this season.

For years, newly inducted Hall of Famer Jeff Kent tormented the Los Angeles Dodgers as a member of the San Francisco Giants. He then briefly joined the Dodgers, and despite being in the twilight of his career, is still regarded as one of the best second basemen in Los Angeles's history. Kent is a worthy Hall of Famer. His 377 career home runs are the most in MLB history by a second baseman. His .290/.356/.500 career line proves that he was a fearsome force at the plate.

Josue De Paula has been the Los Angeles Dodgers' one true untouchable for a little while now. When the front office went out and traded for Tarik Skubal at the deadline, De Paula's name never likely entered the conversation, even as Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith were shipped off to Detroit. That should give a strong indication of where he sits in this organization's plans.

Dalton Rushing defied expectations recently by recovering enough from his UCL tear to become a part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' offensive plans for September. This always seemed like too expedited a timeline for Rushing, and now reality appears to be setting in. According to California Posts's Jack Harris, Rushing's elbow flared up on Saturday during pregame throwing, four days removed from Rushing being activated from the IL. On Sunday, he was placed on the injured list after undergoing imaging.

There's a specific kind of dread that comes with reading a quote from one of your team's best players that sounds a little too much like a farewell letter. That's the feeling some Dodgers fans got this week when Tarik Skubal sat down with the LA Times and talked, at length, about what Stan Kroenke's purchase of the Angels could mean for free agency in Anaheim.

One of the biggest mysteries in all of baseball this season has been the drop off of outfielder Kyle Tucker in his first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tucker signed a massive four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers in the offseason, but has not lived up to expectations in 2026. So what has been going on with Tucker this season? Why has he struggled so much on a star studded roster in LA?

As much as Los Angeles Dodgers president Stan Kasten would like to suggest otherwise, owner Mark Walter's current legal situation and speculation as to its potential effect on the team aren't going anywhere. Walter is currently under investigation by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Securities and Exchange Commission for potential fraud in the failure to disclose affiliated transactions between multiple Walter-owned holdings.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent most of the 2026 season waiting for their rotation to get fully healthy. But this waiting game has also been by design, in some ways. Not all of it's intentional, of course. Blake Snell made it through just three innings during one start in May, then disappeared for three months after a procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow. Tyler Glasnow missed a ton of time with back spasms.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had no good reason to put Shohei Ohtani in the lineup against the New York Yankees coming out of the All-Star break. He had lubricant injected into his left knee five days prior. The Dodgers had an 11.5-game lead in the National League West. Why not rest Ohtani? Dodgers manager Dave Roberts chose to play him, and things haven't exactly gotten better for Ohtani since then. Beyond the knee, Ohtani's still dealing with a biceps issue.